Kay Bojesen was a silversmith, but through his wooden toys he became known as one of Danish applied art's great pioneers. The Teak Monkey with the prankster's look and the light coloured belly, has been in continuous production since 1951. Read more about Bojesen's toy/sculptures at rosendahl.com (Larger image on my flickr)

Disturbing Children's BooksTopic: Design"After a good meal and a good pipe, George felt very tired."Image from DeeT's Disturbing Children's Books

"In the 70s, we didn't find it necessary to hide so many things from our children and from each other. Here are some tidbits that should never have acquired any historical significance." Read more at DeeT's 70s page

The Fine Press Book AssociationTopic: TypographyThe Fine Press Book Association (FPBA) is an organization formed by individuals interested in the art of fine printing to promote printing skills and the appreciation of beautiful books. Parenthesis is the Association's journal. It is published twice a year and is free to members.

Innovative fountain pen writes on the nanoscaleTopic: Pens, PencilsThe Nanofountain Probe (NFP) -- "Researchers at Northwestern University have demonstrated writing at the sub-100 nanometer molecular scale in fountain-pen fashion. They developed a novel atomic force microscope (AFM) probe chip with an integrated microfluidic system for capillary feeding of molecular ink. Their results are published online by Small, a new journal dedicated to breakthroughs in nanoscience and engineering." Read the news article at EurekAlert! (via Slashdot)

"This one is another environment that is good for study or work. When was the last time you picked up a yellow #2 pencil. Try it, you might find its like trip down memory lane. Of course, elementary school memories are tough for some to relive. (via journalisimo)

Art Teachers' Movie GuideTopic: ArtThe Art Historians' Guide to the Movies (AHGttM) is a record of appearances of and references to famous works of art and architecture in the movies. It is intended to be a source for teachers of art history who are considering showing clips or entire films as part of their presentation of the traditional arts of painting, sculpture, and architecture. AHGttM was created by Craig Eliason, assistant professor of modern art history at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. (via linkfilter)

Blackboard JungleTopic: EducationThe movie Blackboard Jungle is hard hitting and probably a better representation of juvenile delinquency in the nineteen fifties than Rebel Without A Cause or The Wild One. The story revolves around an idealistic teacher on his first job in a tough urban all male high school. The teacher, Richard Dadier, is played by Glenn Ford who performs the role almost too passively. He is surrounded by apathetic teachers and a principle (Mr. Warneke, played by John Hoyt) who has trouble admitting that the school has discipline problems. The movie is based on the novel The Blackboard Jungle by Evan Hunter. Movie Review and Sounds at Destitute Gulch. (via linkfilter)

Signascript Signing MachinesTopic: Pens, PencilsSignascriptthe signing machine manufacturer and European leader in signature and hand-written text reproduction, is present in more than twenty countries throughout the world.

"A signing machine automatically produces, as many times as you wish, a person's handwriting and signature on documents of variable size and thickness (letters, photos, greeting cards, diplomas, etc.). For some very thick documents, such as books or catalogues, this operation is carried out manually, one document at a time. These machines do not require a special pen to be purchased. Their special feature is to be able to use all type of pens (ball point, fountain pen, felt nib, etc.). The arm that action the pen also makes it possible to exercise a pressure on the document, as you would with the hand. The text reproduced by the machine is the exact reproduction of your writing and not a character font where all letter are always identical."

Automated Signature ReplicationTopic: Pens, PencilsDamilic Corporation - The World Leader In Handwriting Automation - "Damilic Corporation is the world's most comprehensive source of automatic signing machines for replicating authentic signatures on certificates, letters, photographs, books, athletic equipment, etc. Our customers include universities, corporations, governments, and private individuals. These customers choose our products for their high quality of signature replication. Our product offerings include the classic, easy to use, Autopen, computer based Signature Systems machines, and the top of the line Signascript automatic signing machines (providing all of the best upgrades to the classic Autopen)."

Romano Scarpa 1927 - 2005Topic: ComicsRomano Scarpa, one of the great Disney comic book artists of the 20th Century, and a cartoonist who worked equally well in classic and modern styles, died on Saturday morning... Read more in The Comics Reporter